Man City coach Pep Guardiola shows up Mikel Arteta after Arsenal rant

Pep Guardiola has already been banned from the touchline this season for his conduct towards officials, but the Manchester City manager stopped well short of piling in on referees.

Having previously said he could completely understand Liverpool's anger at the VAR failures for their game with Tottenham, Mikel Arteta's meltdown at Newcastle could not draw any support from his former boss. Asked if the current standard of refereeing is at its lowest, Guardiola was about as non-commital as he could be on Monday morning.

"I don't know. There have always been problems to solve," he said. "It's such a sensitive issue right now, what is happening in many games. It's difficult for the referees and for all of us. I don't know. I don't have a clear opinion because I don't know what position I am in."

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Guardiola's attitude towards officials can often be seen as defeatist in that he rarely expects any meaningful change, but it is also pragmatic. There is no point in wasting attention with fights they cannot win, and players must take to the field expecting no favours if they are to take responsibility for their own performances.

Before anybody jumps in to comment as well, it isn't as though City haven't had reason to blow up in anger. A huge call went against them in the 2019 Champions League quarter-final when the referee wasn't shown an angle that showed a Fernando Llorente handball in their defeat to Spurs, they suffered an abysmal game-changing decision in the derby last season and even a few weeks ago Hwang Hee-chan scored the winner for Wolves against them after getting away with what looked an obvious